Afro beat king, Femi Kuti, singer Yinka Davies and former Shalamar singer/dancer, Jeffrey Daniel, have been dropped as the judges of popular TV song reality show, Nigerian Idol Season 4. Their exit paved the way for popular RnB singer, Dare Art Alade, Afro beat disciple, Dede Mabiaku and Nigerian-born Germany-based singer and song writer, Nneka Egbuna as the new set of judges. They were unveiled on Wednesday, February 26, 2014, at Rhapsody Club, 19A, Agoro Odiyan Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Ill Rhymz retains his position as the host. But a co-host will be announced later. The show, which started in 2010, was first won by 26 year-old Onyeka “Yeka Onka” Gilbert Elizabeth Onwuka, from Ohafia, Abia State. Record label owner, Audu Maikori of Chocolate City, Jeffrey Daniel and Yinka Davies were the judges for season 2 while weird singer, Charly Boy replaced Audu Maikori, who left to concentrate on other projects. Femi Kuti replaced Charly Boy in season 3, but season 4 has now seen a change in the entire panel of judges to add fresh air and versatility to the show. The season 4 which is set to commence in Lagos in March 2014 has started auditions in some selected states in Nigeria. According to Rotimi Pedro, CEO, Optima Media Group, “The fourth season of Nigerian Idol will be an even more exciting television experience. The last three seasons of the show garnered more viewership, especially with the youth demographic, than any other music reality show – re-emphasizing the power of the Idol brand across the globe. As the World’s no. 1 TV show, we are committed to ensuring that the standards from the past three seasons – in terms of content, production and interactivity are surpassed with Season 4. This is Idol – it’s the real deal.” The winner of the show gets N7.5 million cash prize, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry, an iPod and a brand new SUV car. The first runner up will get N1.5 million, a Galaxy Tab 2, Blackberry and an iPod; and the second runner up will receive N1 million, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry and an iPod. In addition, each of the finalists from the fourth to tenth will also receive N100, 000, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry and an iPod.